As Canucks move to buy out Higgins, Burrows still in roster limbo

VANCOUVER, BC - APRIL 6: Chris Higgins #20 of the Vancouver Canucks looks on from the bench during their NHL game against the Los Angeles Kings at Rogers Arena April 6, 2015 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.Jeff Vinnick
/ The Province

What the Canucks do in free agency will decide what they do with Alex Burrows.
/ The Province

Right winger Emerson Etem has signed a one-year, one-way contract extension with the Canucks for $775,000 US.
/ The Province

In a perfect world of NHL asset management, expendable and aging players are traded to acquire draft picks, add salary cap space and open roster spots.

In an imperfect world, the only escape route is the buyout, which still leaves money on the cap and can rub ownership the wrong way. The Vancouver Canucks travelled that expected road with Chris Higgins on Monday, placing the 33-year-old winger on waivers for the purpose of buying out the final year of his contract. The cost is two-thirds of the initial cap hit of $2.5 million ($1.666,667 million) — which is what’s left on his contract — and the cap hit to the club is spread out over the next two seasons ($833,333 annually).

“Chris was a leader in our dressing room and a leader in the community — especially as an ambassador for Special Olympics B.C.," said Canucks general manager Jim Benning.

"He set a great example for our younger players to follow. The professionalism he has displayed throughout this process highlights the kind of person he is."

The Canucks could go down the same road with Alex Burrows before the buyout deadline Thursday, but that situation has not been resolved. What level of success the Canucks achieve in the secondary free-agent market could play into the roster scenario. So could yet another buyout. The Canucks still have Roberto Luongo on the books for an $800,000 annual cap hit until 2023.

A Burrows buyout would be two-thirds of the $3 million actually salary left on his deal ($2 million). The cap hit would be two-thirds of the original cap hit ($4.5 million) and spread out over two years ($2.5 million, $1 million).

Add it all up and it has come to this: Higgins is going and Burrows is in limbo. Management likes the winger, but ownership can’t be crazy about paying two more players not to play, which probably isn't a fair to the wingers because they both believe they can still contribute.

"We still haven't decided what we're going to do with Alex," said Benning. "We're going to see how the week goes. I've talked to some teams about him and I love what he's done for the franchise and he's got a great attitude. But the situation is still fluid and it would depend on a secondary piece (free agent) and that could determine more his situation than a first piece that we sign.

"We've identified some players as secondary pieces that we're going to go after and that will relate to Alex's situation."

The Higgins departure was expected because the Canucks have been trying to move the winger. And when he suffered a fractured foot blocking a shot in the first pre-season game, it set him back and his couldn’t catch up. He was sidelined until Nov. 4 and cleared waivers and assigned to the American Hockey League affiliate Utica Comets. Instead of moping, Higgins had nine goals in 22 games with the Comets — including a hat trick — and prospects marvelled at his mentorship. If anything, Higgins was able to temper disappointment with humour — even though he scored but three goals in 33 NHL games last season.

It also took a rash of injuries to get Higgins back in the Canuck lineup in March. The irony of needing the ninth roster injury here to be summoned wasn’t lost on him.

“It (AHL) isn’t something you foresee happening and it wasn’t an ideal situation to go down there and play, but it was a great group of kids and it made the acclimation process a lot more enjoyable for me,” said Higgins.

At his best, Higgins was a bottom-six fixture and a good penalty killer. At his worst, he was thrust into a second line, left-wing role and never cracked the 20-goal plateau here. In 314 games with the Canucks, he had 62 goals and 80 assists.

What the Canucks do in free agency will decide what they do with Alex Burrows.

Burrows is much a bigger development after just nine goals in 79 games last season.

He’s a $4.5 million cap hit in the final year of his deal, even though the actual salary is $3 million. Regardless, that’s a lot for a player who became a fourth-liner, but he could wave his no-trade clause at the deadline and be moved. Burrows appeared resigned to the fact that his time here may be coming to an end. In a candid game-day interview with The Province on March 5 in San Jose, he was asked about his unsure future.

“I’ve had discussions with the coaching staff and they’ve stated to me that they’re going to be playing some young guys and I totally get that,” said Burrows. “It’s part of rebuilding and how they’re going to move forward. There’s nothing I can do, even if a have a great year.”

Fast forward and the Canucks will need veterans to stabilize their lineup next fall because the onus is on being more competitive than developing talent and getting back to the playoffs.

Right winger Emerson Etem has signed a one-year, one-way contract extension with the Canucks for $775,000 US.

OVERTIME — The Canucks have signed restricted free-agent right winger Emerson Etem, 24, to a one-year, one-way deal. Etem had 12 goals and seven assists in 39 games last season after being acquired from the New York Rangers in the Nicklas Jensen trade package. “His speed will help us compete next year,” said Benning. "He's a good role model for our first- and second-year players because of the work ethic and professionalism he brings every single day." The Canucks have also tendered qualifying offers to RFAs Andrey Pedan, Alex Grenier and Mike Zalewski. They did not qualify Linden Vey, who can become a UFA.

Related Posts

Comments

We encourage all readers to share their views on our articles and blog posts. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion, so we ask you to avoid personal attacks, and please keep your comments relevant and respectful. If you encounter a comment that is abusive, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. We are using Facebook commenting. Visit our FAQ page for more information.

Almost Done!

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.